Questions for my favorite author

Let’s just fantasize for a moment that I get a chance to have lunch (or dinner or drinks) with my favorite author, Nicholas Sparks.  Yes, he can bring his wife.  Maybe he’ll invite me to their house and I can meet the kids and dogs too!

1. I’ve read that you write at least 2,000 words each day.  When you started out did you ever sleep or did you have a lower goal for your per day completion?
2. What is the average time it takes you to write a book?  Are some harder than others?
3. How do you overcome character challenges? 
4. What about when your characters change their story mid-plot? 
5. What was the most difficult book?  Why?
6. Your favorite book you’ve written?
7. Your favorite book by another author?
8. What was the easiest book to write?  Why?
9. Is there a book that you’d like to rewrite?
10. What did you spend your first large royalty check on?
11. How do you research for your books?

What questions would you ask your favorite author?

A Friend

One of the problems of having a blog that people read is that I need to be aware of my audience.  It’s never my intent to purposefully hurt someone – I’m completely capable of telling someone to their face if I’m unhappy with them if it’s a big enough deal that I need to create the conflict.  So, it’s a pretty safe bet that if I’m unhappy with someone, that someone already knows about it.  (Okay, I’ll admit that Lance Armstrong has no IDEA what a putz I think he is but I don’t think he cares.)

I’m no stranger to conflict; I’ve often joked that even when I try to avoid it conflict finds me easily and without much of a search party.  But as good as I am at talking the talk; I really don’t enjoy conflict and dust-ups and losing friends.

The last few years I’ve had three major people in my life make me reconsider my attitude about friendship.  Each of these people has, in some way, been dishonest or un-trustworthy with me or how they’ve dealt with a situation where I’ve been involved.  And each one of them has had several chances to correct the situation and regain my trust.  And each one of them blew it multiple times and I WALKED AWAY.

When I was a little girl, someone once told me how to remember to spell FRIEND correctly:  “A Friend is a Friend to the e.n.d.”    If only that were true as far as the actual friendship went.

I expect that my friends will be my friends forever; and it hurts me tremendously when I lose a friend.  I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I did or how I could have saved the relationship; but I think that some relationships are just not meant to be long term.  And, some will withstand the test of time (and Facebook).

I will not be lied to.  I will not allow or be party to someone who can’t represent the truth.  I will not stand quietly by when someone is dishonest or has motives that are selfish and manipulative.  And, if you are reading this and you think it’s about you, well, maybe it is.  But again, you’ll already know where we stand by this point because I’ve offered an olive branch, tried to work it out and spent countless hours trying to mediate or fix the situation and repair the friendship.

 

You can also be pretty sure that you’re in my prayers and that I think of you no matter how long it’s been since we’ve ‘broken up’.  Sometimes the thoughts aren’t as painful anymore and sometimes I just want to scream because it’s just not how I wanted things to end.

And, apparently, God isn’t through teaching me about relationships and how I can be better at them because He tells me every day that HE loves me and that even if I lost every human friend I ever had, HE would still be there.

It’s a good thing we can grow and change and that some of our friends will grow and change with us; and it’s sad that some people just can’t be honest about themselves or others and deal with the consequences.  

Safety Patrol

Top (10) Reasons I’m not a School Safety Patrol Parent:

1. Stupid people make me angry
2. Just because you need to walk your precious snowflake to the front door is no reason to park in the middle of the drive-through lane.
3. The signs that say “Do Not Block Handicapped Spaces” are there for a reason; NO, the reason isn't just to annoy you.
4. Walking your child across a busy street and not using the crosswalk is still jay-walking.  Even if it’s inconvenient.
5. I would go through a ticket book a day and they would all be marked “Failure to use common sense”.
6. The Police Department would know me by name.
7. Citizen’s arrests are still legal.
8. I have the number for a towing company on speed dial.
9. I don’t have a problem with telling people to STOP!
10. I’m not afraid to make you go to the back of the line and wait your turn.

Review and A-new

I made some “resolutions” – I called them Personal goals for 2012.  I thought I’d review them and see how well I did before I make my resolutions for 2013.

• ·Read the Bible in a year.

Well, I started this and kept up pretty well through April.  And then, well, I completely let it go until about October again. 

• Complete one of the books I’m writing.  I’m not sure I’ll be willing to try to get it published in this year, but that can be 2013’s goal (if the Mayan’s are wrong).

I’ve re-written several sections of this book about 10 times.  I’m still struggling with who my characters are and as they keep changing their personalities, it makes for a frustrating attempt to finish.

• Scan family/historical photos so they’re saved digitally.  I’d also like to get our family videos transferred to DVD for safekeeping.

This will be a long-term goal; and I did make some progress in it, but not any that was noticeable.  Since I have about a bazillion photos, it will never likely be completely finished.

• Lose 20 more pounds and keep it off.

I MADE THIS ONE!  I started the year at 218 and lost 20 pounds by December (11 months!).  My goal for December was to stay within 3 pounds of that weight during the holidays and I ended up the year at 200 pounds; so I’m VERY HAPPY about that.

• Have our last credit card paid off.

Yeah, no. 

• Take shooting lessons.

I did take shooting lessons and feel semi-comfortable in loading and reloading a handgun and shotgun.  At the shooting range I had pretty good aim and hit the target more often than not; but Trap shooting is not my forte.  That whole aiming thing really isn’t my thing. 

•  Sell or give away some of the collected stuff (read: junk) and get it out of my life.

I sold some DVD sets and some crystal ornaments; donated a lot of things to charity and threw some things away as well.  This too will be an on-going project.

As for my 2013 goals; they’re really going to be personal this year.  Not PRIVATE, but personal. 

• I want to lose another 10 pounds.  The goal weight is 188.
• I want to start running.  The goal is I’d like to be able to jog/run our walk route (2.5 miles) at least 5 times over the course of the year.  My walking partner and I have done “poles” (intervals) once, and after we get past the bronchitis/pneumonia season, I think we’ll start up again. 
• I’m going to start seeing a counselor again.  This isn’t really a “goal” or a resolution; but something I just need to do.  I’m struggling with a lot of anger and frustration and I don’t know how else to work through it.  What I’m doing now isn’t working.
• More gun lessons and shooting practice.  Apply for a concealed carry permit.  Purchase a handgun.   (No, the gun isn’t because of the anger issues.)
• Start being that person who says “I’m going to let someone else handle this.”  Stop being the peacemaker.  Stop offering assistance to a problem that isn’t mine.
• Get rid of more of the clutter in my life.  Sell or give away the *valuable* items and throw away the stuff that really is just stuff.

Projects:

• Scrapbook 2012 photos and memorabilia.  This is hard for me because I doubt my craft skills and 2^nd-guess my “style”.  I need to just get it in a book and not try to make it a perfection/competition/showcase thing.
• Scan photos; convert movies to DVD (see 2012).

I hope your 2013 is filled with accomplishments and progress.